Collapsible drinking-cup.



L. K. MEARKLE.

GOLLAPSIBLE DRINKING CUP.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 8, 1014.

Patented Mar.23,1915.

FIGS.

26 FIG.3.

INVENTOR;

WITNESSES THE NORRIS FETERS C0. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D C,

LOUIS K. MEARKLE, F PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO DUQU'ESNE SALES COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

GOLLAPSIBLE IDIRINKIN(Bi-GUI Application filed January 8, 1914. Serial No. 810,990.

To all whomit may concern: 7

Be it known that I, Loo'rs K. IVIEARKLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Collapsible Drinking-Cup, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to liquid containing receptacles and its main object is to provide a collapsible receptacle which in open position has considerable capacity. and which when collapsed occupies small space and is sealed against contamination of the interior, and especially I make a permanent collapsible drinking cup which maybe carried in a vest pocket, folded into a flat form and entirely closed against entry of dust. Other objects and uses will be apparent. A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by the accompanying drawings,

wherein Figure 1 IS a perspective view of the cup,

I in normal open position; Fig. 2 is avertical section through the open receptacle on the line (X), (X), of Fig. 1 showing the arrangement of folds in the flexible portion thereof; Fig. 3 is a side elevation; Fig.4 is a side elevation showing the receptacle in semi-closed position, and, Fig. .5 is a side elevation showing it in its normal closed and locked position.

I make the cup with two metal walls, clamping along their side and bottom edges, a flexible material adapted to foldxbetween them, and to form the two remaining walls and the bottom of the cup. Also I provide means for sealing the opening of the receptacle when it is in closed position.

As herein specifically shown, my device consists of the two metal plates 11 and 12 preferably aluminum, having clamped, or otherwise attached, around their sides and bottoms, a strip of flexible material 13, to form, with the plates, a liquid tight receptacle. The flexible material 13 may be oiled or paraflined fabric, or other material having considerable inherent stiffness.

The material 13 is creased so as to fold inwardly at the sides, along the lines (X), (X), and upwardly across the bottom'along the line (A), (A). At the junction of the side and bottom creases, I provide two folds 14 and 15 in the flexible material. Fold 15 allows the bottom to crease and fold directly together across its width, the middle rising within the cup. Fold 14 moves both inward and upward on bringing the walls 11 and 12 together. These two folds of material, as arranged, allow the folding of the flexible material around the bottom compactly with the least possible overlapping. In addition they have the effect of causing walls 11 and 12 to fold together just as though they were connected by rigid toggle links, 2'. e., in closed position the walls cannot have much relative movement in their parallel planes. This function is important in another connection. This construction also allows the walls 11 and 12 to be separated to their maximum distance apart at the bottom, while the top ends are together;

or closed or intermediate position of the receptacle, and it'will be noted that the slight slanting of sides 11, 12, helps to insure an upward movement of fold 15, in closing.

It will be observed from the drawing that theflexible portion 13 is clamped at'the bottom of the metal walls by a deeper fold of metal than at the sides. This has the effect of making the bottom of the cup somewhat more narrow than the top. On this account when the two walls are at their maximum distance apart at the bottom, and the bottom fold 15 is stretched into a straight line, the upper fold 14 is not extended to its maximum length, and therefore even when the cup is full and the bottom is perfectly flat, the told 14 is creased slightly upward at its middle point. This is important because by this construction, the crease 14 is never completely straightened out and there fore when the metal walls are brought together at the bottom, the crease 14 always folds in its proper upper direction, preventing a reversal of the crease and a consequent disarrangement of the .two folds forming the angles at the bottom of the cup,

The metal wall 11 is folded over across its top, to form an engaging lip, 16. Fig. 3 shows a side View of the open cup. wing to the construction of the folds 14 and 15, when wall 12 is pushed inward at the top only, it will move as though the bottom wall were a rigid lever arm fixed to it, and pivoted to wall 11. That is, the top of the wall Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

12 will move in a curve and on meeting wall 11 will be lower than when in its open position. The lip 16 is so gaged that the top of wall 12, when the two walls 11 and 12 are brought together at their tops with bottoms distended, falls just beneath lip 16. This is shown in Fig. 4-. Now, on bringing the bottoms of the walls together, the folds 1d and 15 creasing at their middle point, bring their ends together, and so in coming into parallel position, the walls 11 and 12 resume their normal coincident relation.

Therefore the top of wall 12 rises under lip 16 and is firmly held thereunder, and can; not be released, so long as the bottoms of the walls are held in collapsed position. Thus the mouth of the receptacle is sealed and locked against entry to the interior of the cup of all extraneous matter. This is a feature of great value. For instance, suppose the receptacle is used for a drinking cup. It may be collapsed and carried in the pocket, occupying only the thickness of the two metal walls. So carried, the walls cannot open at their bottom, and so the mouth is sealed against dust, etc. The bottom is so formed that the cup when filled will stand on a table. Also the cup when filled may be held by one wall, and will not collapse in the hand. The many advantages of this use of my invention will be apparent.

Having thus illustrated and described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A collapsible drinking cup comprising two rigid metal sides and intervening sides and bottom formed of flexible material with suitable folds, one of said metal sides carrying an engaging recess and the other metal side being adapted to directly fit into said recess in the act of collapsing the cup, in order to seal the opening, substantially as described.

2. A collapsible drinking cup composed of two metal sides, a flexible material forming the remaining walls of the cup, one metal side having a reentrant flange adapted to engage the other metal side in closing and so to seal the mouth of the cup when in closed position, the flexible sides being adapted to slide one metal side on the other in closing, substantially as described.

3. A collapsible drinking cup composed of two metal walls, a strip of flexible material clamped in folds along the edges of said metal walls, said flexible portion being adapted to fold together at'the top of the cup first, and having a fiat wall forming the bottom wall of the cup, said bottom wall being adapted to fold along a central longitudinal crease independently of the vertical creases in the side walls of such flexible part, substantially as and for the purposes described.

A collapsible drinking cup composed of two metal walls, one having a locking fold at the top and a flexible strip forming the remaining walls and bottom, said strip being creased so as to fold inward at the sides and upward at the bottom in such manner'as to allow the bringing together at their upper ends of the metal walls without collapse at the bottom, then upon collapse at the bottom, to force one wall to slide upward against the other, whereby to hold the tops of the walls in locked engagement so long as they are folded together at the bottom.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

LOUIS K. MEARKLE.

Witnesses W. W. Mai-mime, J. P. Gancwlsorr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G," 

